Guardians:Fellowship Book 3:Of Renewal
by Warriormaid
Summary: As the finale of the war for Middle-earth draws ever nearer, Kestrel makes some...surprising discoveries. About everything - her whole world is turned upside down. Sequel to Of Entrances and Of Discoveries.
1. Chapter 1

**A.N. Yay! Now we're on to Return of the King! * is happy * PLEASE REVIEW!**

**On second thought, I'm not going to do the Narnia part of this for NaNoWriMo. I've got a better idea. Much better. So this story'll be on hiatus for a month.**

**Disclaimer: * sighs * I…do…not…own…Lord…of…the…Rings. Is…that…clear? I do not own (well, I do) Golden Sun – that is, I don't own the actual thing. Of course, I own the game…**

Chapter 1

After a day in Fangorn, Gimli was STILL slightly nervous about being in the dark forest. "I don't like it. It's too…tight."

Kestrel facepalmed once again. "GIMLI! What's your problem? What do you mean, 'it's too tight'?" she mimicked sarcastically. "It's a friggin FOREST, for Eru's sake! How is it tight? Heck, Gimli, I'm not as short as a dwarf, and I feel like this forest is airy and elegant!"

"We dwarves are accustomed to being underground! We do not like the forest!" the stocky dwarf argued back.

Kestrel drew breath to reply, but suddenly Aragorn, who had moved to the head of the line, gave a shout. "We've made it!"

"Made it where?" she called.

Legolas shook his head, smiling. "Made it to Isengard, you dummy."

"Oh, is that a challenge?" she joked back, urging Lorthan on out of the woods.

Her first look on Isengard revealed that there had been a battle there. And a lopsided one, by the looks of it. _Heck, __all __the __walls __are __torn __down!_There were two small figures sitting on what was left of the eastern wall, but she couldn't make them out, so she called Legolas up.

"You see those two people? Who are they?" she asked, pointing.

After a moment he laughed and said, "Kestrel, that's Merry and Pippin!"

0oO0oO0oO0oO0

As they came closer, Merry and Pippin saw them and stood up. With a flourish, Merry stood up and said, "Welcome, my lords, to Isengard!"

"Oh, then, what am I?" Kestrel asked, glaring at them. But she couldn't stay angry at them for long, so great was her relief at personally seeing them alive and well. But still…_sexists._

Merry pretended that he hadn't heard her, but being "a fool of a Took", Pippin said, "You're not important enough to be included." Kestrel's eyebrows shot up.

"Oh? REALLY now. I was under the impression that I was a member of the Fellowship, more than YOU, Peregrin Took." she said hotly.

Merry laughed. "She does have a point there, Pippin. And anyways, she used your full name. You can't argue with THAT."

It was then that Kestrel realized that Gimli realized (**A.N.****SORRY ****FOR ****INTERRUPTING! ****But ****did ****you ****follow ****that?****What ****I****'****m ****saying ****here ****is ****that ****Gimli ****realized ****what ****the ****hobbits ****were ****doing, ****and ****Kestrel ****realized ****that ****he ****realized ****that****…****do ****you ****follow? ****Whatever. ****Moving ****on.**) that the hobbits were smoking, drinking, and essentially enjoying themselves. "A merry hunt you've led us on, and now we find you feasting…and smoking!" _Interesting. __He __finds __the __fact __that __they__'__re __smoking __more __important __and __outrageous __than __the __fact __that __they__'__ve __found __some __beer__…__ale__…__whatever __and __lots __of __food__…__I __will __NEVER __understand __dwarves._

"We are sitting on a field of victory," * nom nom nom * "and enjoying a few well-earned comforts!" * nom nom nom * Pippin said and chewed at the same time. Merry leaned forward and blew a perfectly round smoke ring as Pippin went on. "The salted pork" * nom nom nom * "is particularly good."

Gimli's eyes widened in amazement and indignation. "Salted pork?"

Kestrel sighed. "They're hobbits. What could you possibly be expecting from them? 'Oh, we defeated the Orcs of Isengard single-handedly and are now keeping Saruman locked in Orthanc'? Or 'we helped Frodo destroy the Ring and are just about to head back to the Shire now'? Or 'We found a stock of food when we destroyed the place and are saving it for you?' Seriously…"

"We're under orders from Treebeard, who's taken over management of Isengard!" Merry broke in in their defense. "He wants to see Gandalf!"

Gandalf raised AN eyebrow. "Oh? Then why didn't you mention this sooner?"

"Um…um…oh…uh…we…" Pippin stuttered.

Kestrel raised her hands and let them fall in exasperation. "Whatever. So where is this…Treebeard? And who, or should I say what, is he?"

"Treebeard…is an Ent." Gandalf said.

She cocked her head. "An Ent? And what's THAT supposed to tell me?"

"Ents. Tree-herders. Shepherds of the forest." Merry said. Kestrel was slightly surprised that he was the one to explain to her. _He__'__s __normally __such __a __clumsy __hobbit__…__well __not __exactly __clumsy, __but __annoying, __stupid, __and __generally __there __just __for __comic __relief. __Since __when __does __he __know __all __this __stuff? __He__'__s __changed __since __last __I __saw __him__…_

Kestrel shrugged. "I guess I'll know him when I see him, because your description does nothing for me. Sorry, but yeah."

"What IS that you're smoking?" Gimli asked. Kestrel sighed inwardly. _Of __COURSE, __that__'__s __what __you __care __about __the __most. __Typical._

Pippin smiled and said, "1417, I think. South-farthing. Longbottom-leaf, that's pretty obvious."

"The best leaf in all of the Shire!" Merry pronounced, blowing out another perfect smoke circle.

Gandalf shook his head impatiently. "All well and good, Master Brandybuck, but we really must get to Treebeard. May you tell us where he is?"

"Over there." Merry pointed. The rest of them instinctively followed his finger, though Kestrel could see nothing but a small dark blob in front of a big dark blob.

She shrugged. "I'll take your word for it. I haven't got the eyes of an Elf."

"Obviously." Legolas said, and smiled. With a command in Elvish, he spurred Arod on through the remnants of the wall and towards the tower of Orthanc, Gimli wildly hanging on. The rest of them followed at a more sedate pace, Kestrel noticing as she got closer that this Ent-Treebeard-person-thingy looked remarkably like a tree, yet according to Merry, he wasn't a tree. _That__'__s __assuming __Merry __knew __what __he __was __talking __about, __which __I__am __inclined __to __believe, __since __nobody __did __anything __to __argue __with __him __or __disprove __him._

She also noticed that Treebeard spoke VERY slowly and deliberately, somewhat reminding her of Elrond. "Hoom! Young master, Gandalf. I'm glad you've come. Wood and water, stock and stone I can master, but there's a wizard to manage here – locked in his tower." _Heck, __he __sounds __a __lot __like __Tret __from __the __Golden __Sun __games. __There__'__s __a __similarity__ – __thinking __tree-like __beings__…__maybe __that__'__s __how __ALL __thinking __tree-like __beings __talk.__*__shrugs__*__Heh. __Whatever._ She found herself tapping her foot and rolling her eyes as Treebeard spoke. _Could __he __talk __ANY __slower? __We__'__ve __got __things __to __do __here!_

"And there, Saruman must remain under your ever-vigilant guard, Treebeard." Gandalf said, nodding in appreciation.

Gimli grunted as he hit the ground heavily. "Oh, let's just have his head and be done with it." _Why __did __you __dismount? __We__'__re __going __to __go __back __to __Edoras __in __like __fifteen __minutes __at __the __most! __Idiot._

"No! He has no power anymore." Gandalf said.

Kestrel sighed. "For once, I agree with Gimli." she said, ignoring the glare the stocky dwarf sent her. "Why not just kill him?"

"Kestrel! He no longer poses a threat to us. If we kill him now, we will be no better than he was. He's helpless. Do you want to kill a helpless man?" Aragorn asked hotly.

And again, Kestrel threw up her hands in exasperation. "He's not a man! He's a friggin Istari, just like Gandalf! And anyways, it's not like he's some person that we can have mercy on! He's done bad things, and he knows it. He did them willingly. Seriously. It's not that hard. Gandalf, just let me in there! It won't be too lopsided…after all, wouldn't he still have his staff?"

"I can't let you go in there, Kestrel." Legolas said, looking her in the eye. "How do we know that he doesn't have anything in there?"

She closed her eyes and sighed. "Does it really matter? Face it, Legolas, you're overprotective. Seriously."

"No, Kestrel. You're not going, and that's that." Aragorn said, turning his horse around.

It was then that Kestrel noticed the water swirling about Lorthan's hooves, being the extremely unobservant person that she was. "Water? Where did this come from?"

"Some of the younger and more hasty Ents…hoom…broke the dam. The filth of Saruman is washing away. Trees will come back to live here." Treebeard said, if you could really call what he was doing legit TALKING. "Young trees, wild trees."

"Pippin!" Aragorn admonished suddenly. Kestrel looked over at the little hobbit, who had jumped off of Hasufel and was currently picking something up out of the muddy water.

She urged Lorthan over to look at what Pippin had picked up. "What IS that?" For Pippin had a polished spherical blackstone in his hands. "No, really. What the heck is that?"

"Well…hoom…bless…my…bark!" Treebeard said, swaying.

Théoden was watching the stone with interest. "A Seeing-stone."

"Peregrin Took, I'll take that, my lad." Gandalf said, holding out a hand. Indecisive, Pippin looked from the stone, to Gandalf, and back to the stone again. "Quickly now!" After a moment's more hesitation, Pippin placed the stone in Gandalf's hand. The wizard immediately hid it under his white robes, riding away from Pippin. "We head back to Edoras!"

With a last longing look at the black tower of Orthanc, Kestrel reluctantly turned Lorthan around to follow him. _Darn __it. __I __really __wanted __to __do __something __monumental __in __this __world. __I __guess __that__'__ll __just __have __to __wait._

Something flickered in her vision. She blinked twice and looked again. On the balcony of Orthanc was a transparent image, similar to the one that she had seen on the plains near Helm's Deep. _Alindra? __What __the __heck!_"Um, Legolas?"

With Gimli in tow, he trotted over to look at the balcony. "Is that what I think it is?"

"What're you two looking at? Come on, let's just get back to Edoras!" Gimli protested. The other two paid no attention to them.

Kestrel sighed. "Perhaps it is, perhaps it isn't. But what the heck is it doing here?"

"The laws of Arda are falling apart." Legolas responded. "This shouldn't be there. This shouldn't be happening."

Kestrel rolled her eyes. "None of this should be happening. The Ring should have been destroyed three thousand years ago. Angel should be a perfectly normal person. Gimli should be tall."

"Hey!"

She smirked. "Okay, not that last part, but yeah, whatever. We don't live in a normal world, Legolas. We don't live in normal times." She gestured at Gimli, sitting behind him. "In normal times, would an Elf be sharing a horse with a dwarf? Would a female be chosen as part of an important and dangerous quest? Would we be…" Kestrel let that thought trail off, not wanting Gimli to know anything about their relationship.

"No, Kestrel, none of these things would have happened. But it's not just the Ring." He lowered his voice. "This malice is spreading ever outward, and only we can stop it. But remember this…nothing will ever be the same."

0oO0oO0oO0oO0

Gimli breathed a VERY loud sigh of relief when they left Fangorn Forest for the last time. "I'm not going back in THERE ever again!"

"Well, Gimli, perhaps you will, perhaps you won't. But it's really not up to you to decide." Kestrel smiled.

Legolas shrugged, also smiling. "It's strange, isn't it? You can put a dwarf in a completely closed-in cave, and he could live there happily for the rest of his years. Yet when you put one in a forest with fresh air, growing things, and running water, he'll say that it's too tight. Another reason why I will never understand a dwarf."

"Grrr…" Gimli growled, raising his axe halfheartedly before lowering it again. "Oh, never mind."

Kestrel raised her eyebrows and continued on silently for a while, as did the rest of them. "Théoden King! How long until Edoras?" she called to the king, who had assumed the lead from Gandalf. She herself was the rear guard.

"We're a good half day's ride from there yet!" he called back. Kestrel sighed. _Pity. __I __was __looking __forward __to __seeing __Éowyn, __and __hopefully __I __could __take __Angel __off __her __hands __and__…__oh, __I __don__'__t __know. __Try __to __send __her __back?__Lord __Elrond __said __that __he __didn__'__t __know __how __to __send __her __back, __and __I __don__'__t __remember __Galadriel __or __Celeborn __saying __anything __about __it.__*__sigh__*_

She actually sighed out loud. "Darn it." And so she spent the next six hours trying to figure out how to send Angel back where she belonged – on Earth. Needless to say, her efforts were fruitless. All they did was get her pitched headlong onto the rolling plains when Lorthan apparently got pissed at her totally-out-of-it-ness.

He turned a great brown eye on her as she was getting up. _**You **__**idiot.**_

"Not my fault, okay? I'm one of those people who get bored REALLY easily." Kestrel said. And then: _Oh __crap. __I __just __talked __to __my __horse __in __public, __essentially._ So she shut up, shot Lorthan a look that said _Shut __up __or __I__'__ll __leave __you __with __Angel_ at which he snorted, and got back on him. She sighed. _If __I __zone __out __again__…__Lorthan, __I__'__m __going __to __KILL __you! __Since __when __are __horses __so __freaking __ANNOYING?_

She couldn't see Legolas' face from behind him, but she could swear that he was smirking."I see you're talking to your horse again." At the murderous look that Kestrel shot him (apparently he could feel her glare burning into his back), he laughed and spurred Arod on to inhuman speeds (if that word works for a horse) while Gimli bounced and desperately tried to cling on.

"As much as I love you, I want to kill you with every fiber of my being." Kestrel called after him as she urged Lorthan on. Of course, being him, he didn't do anything. "You…!"

Noticing that she had fallen behind, Aragorn turned Hasufel around and trotted to her. "Horse trouble, Kestrel?"

"Heck yeah. This…CREATURE is being VERY annoying. Lorthan, GET MOVING!" she yelled. As she expected, but hoped wouldn't happen, Lorthan snorted again.

Aragorn raised his eyebrows. "I could swear he understood you."

"He did." Kestrel sighed. "And I won't be able to get anywhere if he stops being so obstinate."

After a moment's thought, Aragorn brightened. "You know what you could do? Take Hasufel and ride him as hard as you can to Edoras. Find Angel and get her here on her unicorn. Let's see what happens then."

_**Angel? **__**You **__**mean **__**Glittering-pink-flower-smell **__**Lady?**_

Kestrel and Aragorn looked at each other. "Did you hear that? Or rather, sense that?" she asked, bewildered.

"Yes." he replied, just as confused.

She sighed. "I used to be able to tell what he was saying only by his body language. And this is Middle-earth, not Narnia. He shouldn't be talking. What is going on?"

_**The **__**Black-evil-strong-death-smell **__**Destroyers **__**are **__**wreaking **__**havoc **__**on **__**all **__**of **__**existence. **__**That **__**I **__**can **__**talk **__**is **__**only **__**one **__**of **__**the **__**mutations **__**that **__**they **__**have **__**made.**_

"Those aren't bad descriptions, Lorthan. Glittering-pink-flower-smell Lady…" she snorted. "Black-evil-strong-death-smell Destroyers…Where do you get these things?"

_**What **__**do **__**you **__**mean? **__**These **__**are **__**their **__**names!**_

Aragorn cut into their converstation. "Well, Lorthan, if you understand us? We need to get back to Edoras, so if you please, get moving."

_**Well, **__**that**__**'**__**s **__**a **__**nice **__**way **__**to **__**put **__**it.**_

"Wait, Aragorn…can Hasufel talk?" Kestrel suddenly asked.

He shrugged. "I don't know. Can you, Hasufel?"

_**Yes.**_ This new voice sounded just as horsey in Kestrel and Aragorn's minds as Lorthan's did, but it was clearly different. _**Though **__**I **__**normally **__**can**__**'**__**t **__**talk **__**to **__**Those-with-two-legs.**_

A resounding horse equivalent of a sigh echoed in Kestrel and Aragorn's minds. _**We **__**haven**__**'**__**t **__**been **__**able **__**to **__**talk **__**to **__**Those-with-two-legs **__**that **__**long. **__**It **__**started**__**…**__**oh, **__**after **__**we **__**arrived **__**at **__**the **__**Big-stone-stable-in-the-mountains. **_Lorthan said.

"Big-stone-stable-in-the-mountains?" Kestrel puzzled.

Aragorn, on the other hand, had figured it out. "He means Helm's Deep."

"That makes sense…but really, why are we standing around and chatting? We can't get to Edoras if we're talking with horses in the middle of the wilderness!" Kestrel exclaimed. "Come ON, Lorthan!"

It seemed like Lorthan was about to deliver a scathing reply when Hasufel's voice broke into their heads. _**Just **__**go, **__**Lorthan. **__**No **__**use **__**in **__**being **__**obstinate. **__**Only **__**the **__**Black-evil-strong-death-smell **__**Destroyers **__**will **__**benefit **__**from **__**that.**_ To Kestrel's amazement, Lorthan actually began plodding forward. _Seriously, __is __Hasufel __like __his __dad __or __something?_

"Thanks, Hasufel." she said out loud.

_**No **__**problem.**_

0oO0oO0oO0oO0

To make sure that episode with Lorthan wouldn't happen again, Kestrel took the front. So it was that she was the first to see Éowyn standing up on the stone platform surrounding Meduseld, her white gown and blonde hair billowing back in the wind. _To __think __that __I __would __become __almost-best __friends __with __a __blonde __techically __princess! __Well, __for __that __matter, __Angel __was __NEVER __like __a __Mary-sue __back __on __Earth__…__whatever. __Screw __it._

"Hey, Éowyn! We're back!" she called up.

A voice came floating back down to her. "Good. I'm getting tired of Angel."

"SoRRY! Where is she now?"

"Inside. I was thinking about putting her in the dungeons."

"Ah, I wish that would work. But she's got her Sue magic, and who knows how she'll break out of the cell. But she would break out – that's a given. I'll take her off your hands, though." She was riding in through the gates of Edoras as she said this. The first thing she noticed was that the people seemed much more…_enthusiastic? __Oh, __I __don__'__t __know. __But __they __don__'__t __look __as__…__morose __as __they __were __a __while __ago._

Éowyn came running down to meet them. "Angel's with a guard."

"A guard as in…ONE person, or a guard as in a guard squadron?" Kestrel asked, eyebrows raised.

Smiling, Éowyn replied, "You WOULD ask that. A guard as in a squadron."

"Good. Let me just take care of Lorthan first before taking care of her," Kestrel said, dismounting. "This…obnoxious horse is really getting on my nerves, and who knows what he'll do to me if I see to Angel before him?"

_**I **__**heard **__**that!**_

Éowyn looked shell-shocked. "Is it just me, or…"

"Trust me, sister, it's not just you. Yes, he can talk. As can Hasufel, and who knows how many other horses. And it's not fun. This…creature is a smart-aleck and a brat." she said, thumping him on the side.

_**Ow!**__** …**__**I **__**heard **__**that **__**too!**_

"Shut up. And that hurt?" She undid the saddle straps and slipped it off. Lorthan breathed an audible horse equivalent of a sigh of relief. "Lorthan, you do realize that I noticed that you sucked in a bellyful of air before whoever it was put your saddle on? Because that saddle was slipping. Majorly slipping. And I had no idea how to put it on – heck, I still have no idea – and I have my pride, you know."

_**What**__**'**__**ve **__**you **__**done **__**to **__**be **__**proud **__**of?**_

"Oh, shut UP." She led Lorthan back to the stables, with Éowyn following, and put him in the one that he had occupied previously. _**May **__**I **__**have **__**an **__**apple?**_

Kestrel threw up her hands in exasperation. "Oh, you act all bratty and annoying to me, but when you want something, you suck up? I'm not that stupid."

As soon as he realized that he wasn't going to get anything, he snorted and said, _**Coulda **__**fooled **__**me.**_

"You're one to talk." she replied, majorly pissed. She closed the gate, and ignoring Lorthan's protests, walked away without giving him even any regular horse feed. When Éowyn expressed her opinion on this, she muttered, "Easy for you to say. You're not the one who got stuck with a talking horse who has an attitude."

Éowyn raised her eyebrows. "Do you always talk to your horses like that?"

Kestrel snorted. "I've never owned a horse, but pretty much ever since that charge at Helm's Deep, Lorthan and I have developed an…INTERESTING relationship. He hates me, I hate him, we work well together. That's how the world turns." Éowyn raised her eyebrows again at this but didn't say anything.

As they climbed the steps to Meduseld, she suddenly said, "You know there's going to be a big victory feast tonight."

"A feast. Wonderful. That's just awesome." Kestrel replied. _I __hate __social __events. __I __hate __social __events. __I __hate __social __events._

Éowyn either failed to notice her sarcasm or just pretended not to notice it, because she said, "You're supposed to wear your best."

"My best, eh? All I've got are black tunics, black leggings, a dark red travel cloak, and a gray Elvish cloak. What would be considered my best?" she asked. _I __hate __social __events. __I __hate __social __events. __I __hate __social __events._

Éowyn shrugged. "I don't know. But…you could borrow one of my dresses…we're about the same size, I reckon."

"Maybe. Whatever." Kestrel said. _I__…__dislike __social __events._

Still either totally oblivious to Kestrel's attitude or pretending to be oblivious, Éowyn plowed on. "I could show you some of them…you could try them on right now…I swear. Legolas would love to see you in a dress."

"Legolas? What made you mention him? And how do you know?" Kestrel asked, startled.

Éowyn shrugged again. "Just a thought, I guess. Although…" She let that thought trail off, and Kestrel could only guess at what she was thinking. _Oh __crap. __Does __she __know?_

"Do you really want to know our relationship?" she questioned, somewhat frightened.

For the third time, Éowyn shrugged. "I don't care. If you want to tell me, go ahead. But if you don't, that's fine too." But Kestrel could see that curious light in her eye. _I __swear, __she __looks __like __she__'__s __going __to __burst __any __second __now __with __curiousity. __And __as __much __as __I__'__d __like __to __see __that, __I __would __miss __her __if __that __happened._

"Fine…yeah. We're…together." she said – a carefully planned ambiguous statement. _If __she __thinks __that m__eans __we__'__re __friends, __sure, __why __not?__But __if __she __realizes __the __truth__…__I __was __the __one __stupid __enough __to __offer._

Éowyn was rendered pretty much speechless by this new revelation. "You don't mean…"

"Maybe." Kestrel was getting more and more…unhappy with each passing statement. _I__'__m __mentally __kicking __myself __right __now__…__why __do __I __have __the __mental __picture __that __Lorthan __is __kicking __me?__And __last __time __I __checked, __horses __couldn__'__t __read __minds. __But __then __again, __last __time __I __checked, __horses __couldn__'__t __talk, __either. __What__'__s __happening __to __the __world?_

After a couple awkward moments of silence in which they entered their room, Éowyn said hesitantly, "So…do you want to borrow one of my dresses?"

"I don't see a better option lying around, so…sure, I guess." Kestrel shrugged. She proceeded to head on over to her bed and sit staring at the wall while Éowyn busied herself with finding a dress that would suit Kestrel.

"Um, a plain white dress isn't exactly the best…black doesn't suit a victory feast…it's too warm for velvet…somehow I think she'll never wear a pink dress…aha! This one'll do. Uh, Kestrel?" Éowyn called. Kestrel spun around to look at the dress that Éowyn had picked out.

She stifled a gasp. The dress was exactly the same as the one she had worn in the clearing. _What __the __heck? __How __could __she __have __gotten __that __dress?__Or __where __would __she __have __gotten __the __pattern? __And __I __wore __that __dress __only __about __two __days __ago!_ Yet another mystery she would have to solve.

Éowyn was now holding it out and shaking it. "Here. Try it on." She gestured towards a corner in which a screen stood. Kestrel stepped behind the screen and put the dress on. _Heck, __it __even __feels __the __same!_

"Not bad." Éowyn said approvingly when Kestrel stepped out. "But what are you going to do with your hair? And you can't exactly wear your weapons to a feast?"

Kestrel challenged, "Why not? Aragorn's probably going to come at least with his sword. I'll set aside my dagger and my bow…but this sword is special. And about the hair thing…NOTHING. Bun or ponytail. Unless you want to braid it…"

"I'll braid it for you. And you'll probably have to bring up the matter of your sword with Théoden King." Éowyn said hesitatingly.

Kestrel shrugged and nodded. "I can do that."


	2. Chapter 2

**A.N: …please review…please review…please review…please review…please review…* takes breath * please review…please review…et cetera et cetera…THANKS FIONN ROSE FOR BEING SO AWESOME AND BETAING THIS CHAPTER!**

**Disclaimer: What do you think?**

Chapter 2

Kestrel had finally submitted to having Éowyn do her hair. And she regretted it. _I'm __stupid. __Seriously__. I __mean, __at __least __she __just __stayed __with __a __regular __long __braid__…__actually, __it's __French-braided, __but __yeah. __I __don't __think __there's __a __France __in __Middle-Earth. __But __then __she __stuck __that __random __white __flower __in __my __hair!__WTF? __I __HATE __FLOWERS!_

"Perfect! You look wonderful!" Éowyn stepped back and clapped.

Kestrel sighed. "You know Éowyn, you're the last person I would've guessed that wanted to dress me up and do my hair."

"True, however there really aren't any girls around Edoras. Well, not girls like us. There're some things I like to do, you know. And…" Éowyn trailed off.

Kestrel prompted, "And what?"

"There is that small matter between you and Legolas…." Éowyn said hesitantly.

"And what do I care?" Kestrel asked in pissed-offness.

Éowyn shrugged. "Not that it really matters...we'd best be going now. It wouldn't be good if we were late."

"No, it would not. So I wear my boots then?" Kestrel asked. _They __ARE __nice __leather __ones__…__some __people __at __my __school __would __kill __to __have __them._

Éowyn shrugged. "I guess you could...that dress is long enough to hide them."

She herself was dressed in a pale blue dress with a lace belt and white slippers. A small necklace of pearls completed her outfit, and her long wavy blonde hair streamed down her back unchecked.

"Well then, let's go!" Kestrel exclaimed. _Better __to __get __this __whole _"_Kestrel's __wearing __a __dress!_" _thing __over __with __as __quickly __as __possible._

She had talked to Théoden King previously, and he had allowed her to wear her sword and sword belt, though not without some qualms. "A lady really shouldn't be carrying a weapon around, especially not to victory feasts." he had said. _Stupid__…__darn__…__Rohirric__…__sexists!_

0oO0oO0oO0oO0

"Elbereth! Is Kestrel really wearing a dress?" Kestrel sighed inwardly at Legolas' somewhat expected reaction.

"YES, I'm wearing a dress. Is it really that much of a…surprise?" She asked in her little aura of even more pissed-offness.

Legolas smiled. "Oh, yes, my dear Hawk. Though I must say, you look absolutely STUNNING in that." He came towards her and offered his hand.

"And what the heck do I care?" Now she was starting to smile at the blonde Elf's flowery language. _But __seriously, __that __sounds __like __it __belongs __in __a __Suefic. __Gah! __Sues! __Speaking __of __Sues__…__where __the __heck __is __Angel?_ She shook that thought off, determined to have a good time, and took Legolas' hand.

Aragorn raised his eyebrows at the sight of – surprise – Kestrel in a dress. "You're wearing a…dress."

"Seriously, is it that much of a surprise? It's still me. And I've still got Lemrocalir here with me." she replied, starting to feel her mood drop again.

He shrugged. "It is…unusual. I suppose I am used to seeing you in fighting gear. It is hard to reconcile you with the image of a young lady."

"What do you suppose I am? A male?" Kestrel snorted. "REALLY?"

Legolas smirked. "You do realize that I thought the same thing as Aragorn here."

"Just because I'm a fighter doesn't mean I'm not a girl! Are all of you this freaking sexist?" Kestrel asked indignantly.

The blonde Elf squeezed her hand gently. "Hush, my love. Come on; let us go get a tankard of beer. We must make a toast to the dead." They walked together, arm in arm, to a table and got themselves each a tankard of beer.

"I'm not sure I can drink," Kestrel said, "because I'm underage. In my wor – on Earth, people can't drink alcohol until they're 21. And I'm only 16."

Legolas laughed. "Nonsense. This is Middle-earth. Even little children drink. And anyways," here he lowered his voice, "this is my first time tasting alcohol as well. Gimli has challenged me to a drinking contest. Last one standing wins."

"Did you accept?" Kestrel's voice was tinged with worry.

He smiled. "Of course I did."

"Dang it!" she exclaimed rather loudly, attracting the stares of some people nearby. She lowered her voice. "I don't want to see a drunken Elf. It wouldn't be a good sight."

"Shh." Legolas shushed, and put a finger to her lips. She nodded and turned to face Théoden King, who was standing on the dais with a mug in his hand.

He raised it slightly. "Hail the victorious dead."

"Hail!" The single word echoed around Meduseld, voiced by hundreds of throats. They lifted their tankards to their lips and drank, Kestrel gagging at the first taste as the burning beer went down her throat.

She muttered, "I will never understand alcoholics." Meanwhile, next to her, Legolas was sipping from his own mug and nodding appreciatively.

"Mm. Not bad." he said.

Kestrel looked over at him in alarm. "You don't mean to say you actually LIKE it?"

"Like I said, it is not bad." He smiled, and took another sip.

With a groan, Kestrel placed her tankard on the table. "You have GOT to be kidding me. I'm going to find somebody who dislikes it as much as I do." She proceeded to scan the room for Éowyn, groaning when she saw her offering a mug to Aragorn. "Dang it."

"I'll stay with you, that is, until I take up Gimli's challenge." Legolas said, grabbing her arm.

She threw her hands up in exasperation. "You are NOT competing in a freaking drinking contest."

"Oh yes I am, and you cannott do anything to stop me. I am probably going to win, anyway. I cannot recall a time in which a dwarf beat an Elf in any contest." he said, smiling somewhat evilly.

Raising her eyebrows, Kestrel said, "Oh, is that so? Then what happened in the battle of Helm's Deep? The battle that we went through not three days ago? What was that? A fluke of nature?"

"That is an exception…" he protested weakly.

Kestrel smirked. "An exception to the law? I really don't think Elves are that much more capable than dwarves. We're all the same, except for me."

"Why, because you are clueless?" Legolas teased.

She sighed. "You idiot, no. It's because I'm just totally awesome!"

"Riiight. Sooo true." he said with a heavy dose of sarcasm.

Playfully punching him in the arm, she said, "Shut up, you." Her eyes travelled to Éowyn, who was now standing with a smile on her face in front of Aragorn; he had accepted the tankard she offered him. "Hey, look over there, Legolas!"

"Yes, I see. Aragorn's certainly a ladies' man, isn't he?" Legolas remarked.

Kestrel rolled her eyes. "At least she's not Angel…Speaking of Angel, where the heck is she?"

"How would I know?" Legolas shrugged. "All I know is that she's not here."

"And thank God for that. I don't know what would happen to my sanity if she WAS here." Kestrel said. Then she groaned. "Oh wonderful. It's the Terrible Two, and they're heading right for us."

Confused, Legolas asked, "The Terrible Two? Oh, you mean Merry and Pippin. They are not THAT bad…"

"Oh, yes they are. But that's typical for hobbits, I guess. But then there's the strange cases of Frodo and Sam…it's not like they're all that lively or fun-loving." she replied.

Any further comment that Legolas would have made was cut off when Merry said, "Well, look here! Kestrel's in a dress!"

Kestrel's fumed. "SERIOUSLY! IS IT THAT SURPRISING?"

Pippin cocked his head. "Uh, yes, it is." Kestrel felt like she was about to explode.

"I'M A GIRL, FOR ERU'S SAKE! WHY DON'T YOU EXPECT ME TO COME TO A BIG FEAST WEARING A DRESS?" she practically screamed. Again, people turned to look at her.

This time, it was Merry who answered. "Well…uh, Kestrel, you've kind of imbedded yourself in our minds as this…big warrior who really doesn't care what other people think."

"I don't. Why do you think I'm a social outcast at school? But anyways…what the heck are you doing here?" she asked.

Merry shrugged, and then brightened up. "Why, for the beer, of course!"

"The beer?" Kestrel couldn't help wrinkling her nose in distaste. "It tastes disgusting."

Pippin sipped again from the tankard he held. "Actually, it's not all that bad. But I've tasted better."

"Like at the Green Dragon?" Merry asked with a twinkle in his eye.

Pippin nodded energetically. "Yes! Exactly!"

"Oh, and I suppose the beer at this Green Dragon place-thingy-whatever, tastes just wonderful?" Kestrel asked cynically.

Merry and Pippin both nodded enthusiastically. "Oh, yes. Everybody thinks so. It's absolutely the best!"

"You know, I really don't want to hear you praise the beer at the Green Dragon. It's really not on my list of top conversation topics. But," here she gestured to the people of Rohan crowding the hall, "maybe it occupies the place of honor on their lists. Why don't you go talk to them?" she finished, walking away quickly. Of course, Pippin and Merry took her sarcastic suggestion as if it was legit and went off to talk with the other people about the merits and faults of all kinds of beer. She sighed. _I __will __NEVER __understand __alcoholics. __Seriously, __beer __tastes __like __crap. __It's __totally __disgusting._

Kestrel looked around and saw Legolas making his way through the crowd to Gimli, who was sitting perched on a table, tankard in hand. "What say we start this contest?" Legolas asked.

"Why not?" Gimli replied. By the rivulets of stuff running down his beard, Kestrel could tell that he had already started in on the beer.

She speed-walked over to them. "Okay, so you're starting this? I'm here just to make sure neither of you gets hurt nor does anything stupid. Not that you haven't already." she added, fixing Legolas with a stare that could freeze the fires of Hell.

"Then you can be referee as well!" Gimli boomed out.

Kestrel sighed, shaking her head slowly. "And why would I? I strongly oppose this contest."

"Why?" Legolas asked, smiling.

As much as Kestrel loved him, at that moment she wanted to slap him in the face. "Oh, it's a thing I learned at school. Surprising, isn't it, that I actually did learn something that would be of use? ALCOHOL IS NOT GOOD FOR YOU. Legolas, are you seriously wondering why you've never had alcohol before? It's because the average Elf is smart. Which you obviously are not."

"Whatever. Gimli, are you ready?" he asked, raising his tankard. "I fully plan on going against Miss Little Dress-wearer's wishes." Kestrel snarled, but she was totally ignored to her extreme annoyance.

Gimli gave a belly laugh. "I've BEEN ready! On your marks, get set, GO!" He raised his tankard to his lips as soon as he said that.

"Wait! That's not fair!" Legolas complained before starting in earnest. Kestrel sighed and walked away, to Gimli's muffled protests.

"Mmh uuh'mm mmhmnhmh mm mh mmhnmmh!" he grumbled. (**Translation****: ****But ****you're ****supposed ****to ****be ****referee!**)

Looking back over her shoulder, Kestrel asked, "What was that supposed to mean?" She headed over to Éowyn, who was watching her uncle walk away from her. Kestrel tapped on her shoulder, and she whipped around.

"Who's there? Oh, it's you, Kestrel." she said.

"Nice reflexes, better than mine." Kestrel remarked.

Éowyn didn't reply, so they just stood there for a few moments in companionable silence, Kestrel watching Legolas and Gimli to make sure they didn't hurt themselves. Over the noise of the crowd, they could hear Merry and Pippin's relatively on-key singing. The two hobbits were dancing on a table with full mugs of beer in hand.

"_Oh, __you __can __search __far __and __wide,  
>You <em>_can __drink __the __whole __town __dry."_

And then Merry sang by himself_,__"__But __you'll __never __find __a __beer __so __brown"_

Pippin echoed_,__"But __you'll __never __find __a __beer __so __brown"_

Merry again:_"As __the __one __we __drink __in __our __home__town."_

The echo named Pippin_:__"As __the __one __we __drink __in __our __home__town."_

And together again:

_"You __can __keep __your __fancy __ales.  
>You <em>_can __drink __'em __by __the __flagon.  
>But <em>_the __only __brew __for __the __brave __and __true__.__.__.__  
>Comes <em>_from __the __Green __Dragon!"_

After finishing their song and dance to the cheers of many, Merry and Pippin tapped their tankards together and took a drink. Kestrel could hear Pippin's higher-pitched voice coming out of the crowd. "Thank you! I win!"

"I see what you meant by fun-loving and hearty eaters, Kestrel." Éowyn said suddenly.

Looking at her with a furrowed brow, Kestrel asked, "Huh?"

"About the hobbits." Éowyn clarified.

Kestrel nodded, finally understanding. "I've heard stories about their parties; how many people were invited, the entertainment, the food…Frodo told me that there were almost 500 people at Bilbo's birthday party. Well, 500 hobbits, anyways. And one wizard: Gandalf."

"500? That's a LOT of hobbits to manage. Especially when they all have the drinking capacity and appetite of Merry and Pippin." Éowyn smiled.

Kestrel smirked. "Heck yeah." Then her gaze travelled to Gimli and Legolas. Apparently somebody had been bringing them filled tankards as they downed their own, because the table in front of them held almost twenty tankards. "Aw, dangit." she groaned.

"What is it?" Éowyn asked. Kestrel didn't say anything, just pointed to where they were each STILL drinking beer, though not with as much gusto. "Oh. I see."

Kestrel shook her head slowly. "I swear, those two are going to make themselves look even stupider then they are. Come on; wanna help me give them a piece of my mind?"

"Sure!" Éowyn readily agreed. "It'll be fun!"

Kestrel shot a look at her. "Uh…why?"

"You've got a big temper, from what I've heard. I want to prove those rumors true and/or false, if I can." Éowyn smiled.

"True and-slash-or false? How does that work?" Kestrel asked, extremely confused.

Éowyn shrugged. "I don't know. It was totally random." They walked, at least, Éowyn did; Kestrel pretty much stormed, over to the table that Gimli and Legolas were using to stage their contest. As they got closer, Kestrel realized that Gimli was practically passed out. Legolas, on the other hand, was calmly sitting on a bench, downing mugs at an alarming rate.

"Uh, Gimli? Gimli?" He didn't respond. "Gimli? Gimli! GIMLI!" Still no response. "GIMLI!" and she began shaking him. Again, there was no response.

Legolas looked up calmly and asked, "Does this mean I win?"

"Sure, why not." Kestrel said absently, preoccupied with trying to revive Gimli.

Éowyn remarked, "He's totally passed out."

"Oh, just wonderful. Absolutely wonderful." Kestrel replied sarcastically before whirling on Legolas. "Just what do you think you were doing, getting into a drinking contest with a freaking DWARF?"

He shrugged. "I won, didn't I?"

"You're a total freaking idiot! Who knows what would have happened if a band of Orcs attacked with both you and Gimli out of combat? You have NO brain whatsoever! I swear, you really need counselling. Seriously, a drinking contest with a dwarf? Only a hobbit could beat them. And only a select few. I don't even want to think about you and Gimli both drunk. Your coordination is probably way off. And you're probably not thinking straight. So I have to take care of you, and you'll probably have the biggest hangover in history tomorrow when you wake up!" Kestrel screamed.

Éowyn sighed. "Take a breath, Kestrel."

"I did." she replied shortly.

Legolas shrugged again. "I don't feel anything from the beer."

Kestrel launched right back into her tirade again. "Probably because you're TOO FREAKING DRUNK! Who knows what was in your brain, taking up a drinking challenge from Gimli! You could've hardly fared worse taking up a 'slowest talker' challenge from an Ent! You're a moron and an imbecile and a – mmmf!"

"No need to do that, Éowyn. I was enjoying it." Legolas said, finally putting his tankard down.

Éowyn removed her hand from Kestrel's mouth and allowed her to breathe again. "So was I. Apparently the rumors are true…but we don't need to attract any more attention than we already have. It wouldn't be too good for morale if the soldiers knew that Kestrel screams at people who drink and you can't even tell if you're drunk."

"I am not." Legolas answered.

Kestrel shook her head vehemently. "Oh yes you are! Come on, you're coming outside with me. You need some fresh air."

"I need fresh air like a hobbit needs a sword!" Legolas protested as she yanked him up roughly.

Anticipating the noise and fighting that was to come, Éowyn quickly made for a safe corner in which she could watch the whole thing. "Kestrel sure satisfies."

"I WONDER WHY Aragorn gave the hobbits weapons back on Amon Sûl." Kestrel said sarcastically. "But never mind. You're coming with me." She pulled him by the hand first to the room that Éowyn and her shared, grabbed her Elvish cloak, then dragged him to the common hall where he had put his stuff. "Grab your cloak and put it on. It's chilly outside."

Legolas grumbled but did as he was told. "Mother hen."

Kestrel glared at him before suddenly softening and hugging him fiercely. "It's for your own good."

"I guess so, but still, you are acting like a mother hen." he replied, returning the hug.

She sighed. "Shut up." After a while, in which they just enjoyed each other's embrace, she broke away and said, "Now, we'd best get outside."

"Do not start in on me again!" Legolas widened his eyes in mock fear.

Kestrel laughed. "I won't, unless you do anything stupid. Now come ON!" Saying so, she took him by the hand and they walked outside to the stone platform. They went to stand on the side facing the east, where the fires of Mordor and Mount Doom could be seen constantly now.

"Somewhere out there, Legolas. Frodo and Sam are somewhere out there." she said quietly.

With a sad tone to his voice, he replied, "Do we know that?"

"I believe it. With all my heart. Anyways, if I'm not going to die in this world, that means that I'll be moving on. And I can't move on to the next world unless Sauron is defeated." she said. I feel like I'm babbling now.

They were quiet for a long period of time, then Legolas spoke. "If Frodo was dead, the Ring would be in the clutches of the enemy. And we would know that as soon as it happened."

"On the other hand, we also know that it's not destroyed yet, not if we can still see the fires of Mount Doom and the pinnacle of Barad-dûr." she replied morosely. "And then there's Alindra…and we can't do anything but to sit and wait. Wait until either the Ring is destroyed or it goes to Sauron."

He asked gently, "You miss Alindra, don't you?"

"With all my heart." she said quietly, almost imperceptibly.

He put an arm around her and drew her close. "We'll rescue her. I promise." She melted in his embrace, comforted in the fact that she would not have to face anything alone. That wherever she went, whatever hardships she faced, he would be there beside her.

They stood like that for what seemed like an eternity, just basking in each other's company. Kestrel began to feel sleepy. Strangely enough, the fires of Mount Doom looked like the lulling flames of a campfire. She started to close her eyes, lulled by the almost hypnotic flares crowning Mount Doom.

Suddenly, the vista changed. She opened her eyes all the way with a start. Instead of the mountain, she saw a large stone hall not unlike Meduseld in its place, burning, burning, burning. Kestrel's head jolted up at the sight, and she gasped.

"What is it, Hawk?" Legolas asked, looking at her with worried eyes.

She blinked once, and the hall was gone, replaced by Mount Doom again. "Oh, nothing. Just my imagination."

"No. Nothing is 'just your imagination'. Everything has a meaning now. Every little thing. We do not know what is happening now. We do not know what's going to happen a day from now. We do not know what is going to happen in the next minute." he replied. "Some of us – the Elves, I mean – used to be able to predict the future by watching the Stars. Not anymore. The Stars are veiled." Kestrel heard footsteps behind her. She turned to see Aragorn as Legolas continued. He's got some sixth sense or something. Heck, I KNOW that he knows that Aragorn's behind him, and he didn't even need to look! "Something stirs in the East. A sleepless malice. The Eye of the enemy is moving."

Suddenly, a voice resounded in Kestrel's head, and it wasn't the distinguishable voices of either Galadriel or the horses. "I see you! There are none who can stop me!"

"What IS that?" she yelled.

Alarmed, Legolas turned around. "He is here!" Just then, they heard a huge racket inside the hall where Gandalf and the hobbits were sleeping.

"Aw, dangit!" she sighed as Aragorn sped inside, followed by Legolas. She followed them too, with her dagger poised for throwing.

The strangest sight confronted them inside the hall. Pippin was rolling around on the ground, his hands seemingly stuck to that black stone that he had picked up back in Isengard. A Seeing-stone. Kestrel remembered. Somehow, there was a fiery blaze coming from the very centre of the Seeing-stone.

An indefinite chanting filled the room. Kestrel couldn't make out exactly what whatever-it-was was saying, but didn't sound good. It emanated an aura of wickedness and filth. An aura that didn't seem to be affecting anybody but her.

She shook her head and came back to the task at hand. Gandalf had woken up and was trying to wrest the Seeing-stone from Pippin's hands, to no avail.

"Help him! Somebody help him!" Merry screamed frantically. Aragorn dived forward and grabbed the Seeing-stone. With a groan-cum-sigh, Pippin fell on his back, staring up into nothingness.

But Aragorn was taken over by the Seeing-stone's power too. He fell on his knees, twitching and crying out. Legolas reached out to steady him, and the Seeing-stone dropped from Aragorn's hands. It rolled on the stone floor, clicking and clacking.

Gandalf flung a length of rough woollen cloth over the Seeing-stone, and it came to a stop. The wicked light disappeared too, and so did the aura. Kestrel breathed a sigh of relief. That aura had been clawing at her brain and her consciousness, trying to wrest it apart and send her into nothingness.

"Pippin!" Merry cried and rushed to the unconscious hobbit. "Pippin! Are you all right?"

Kestrel rushed to Pippin's side as well, noting with relief that he seemed to be breathing. "No, he's not all right, but at least he's alive. He's got a pulse, weak but steady. And he's breathing."

"Fool of a Took!" Gandalf scolded with his back to Pippin and whipped around. He gasped when he saw the state that Pippin was in and shoved Merry aside. Kestrel got up of her own accord, feeling that there wasn't anything else she could do.

Gandalf took one of Pippin's hands in his own, and stroked the hobbit's cheek with his other hand, trying to wake him. After what seemed like a really long time, Pippin's eyes slowly opened, and Kestrel let out the breath that she didn't realize she was holding.

"Look at me." Gandalf said sternly.

Pippin focused on Gandalf. "Gandalf! Forgive me." he said shakily.

He tried to close his eyes again, but the wizard repeated, "Look at me! What did you see?"

"A tree…there was a white tree…in a courtyard of stone…it was dead…the city was burning!" Pippin replied, clearly distraught.

Gandalf asked quickly, "Minas Tirith? Is that what you saw?" Minas Tirith – the capital city of Gondor. Boromir's city. With a flash, Kestrel remembered the vow that she had made to Boromir.

***FLASHBACK***

She heard Aragorn say, "Be at peace, son of Gondor." He stood up, and Kestrel turned around. She saw Legolas and Gimli appear out of the woods. Legolas closed his eyes in mourning, and Gimli turned away.

"They will look for his coming from the White Tower. But he will not return." Aragorn said.

"But the White City that he so loved, Minas Tirith, it will not fall. Neither will the World of Men. I swear that, as long as I live, free Men will live in Middle-earth! I swear this on my sword." Kestrel said, drawing Lemrocalir and kissing the blade.

***END FLASHBACK***

_I can't let him down. I can't let Minas Tirith fall. I swore on my sword, and a warrior's vow is taken very seriously. If Minas Tirith is falling…I've failed him. I've failed everybody._

The sound and sight of Pippin gulping brought her back to the present. "I saw…I saw…him! I heard his voice in my head!"

Gandalf's reaction was exactly how Kestrel felt. "And what did you tell him? Speak!" he said, alarmed.

"He…asked me my name…I didn't answer." Pippin stuttered. "He hurt me!"

Dangerously, Gandalf asked, "What did you tell him about Frodo and the Ring?"

"N-nothing, Gandalf." Pippin replied. "I didn't tell him anything."

Gandalf was silent for a while, thinking and shaking his head. Finally, he spoke. "I believe you, Pippin. Now you better get some rest." Pippin couldn't walk, and had to be helped back to his pallet by Merry.

After seeing that Pippin was okay, Legolas took Kestrel by the hand and led her outside, back to the place that they had been standing before all that occurred. "Just another piece of proof that everything is upside down."

Kestrel closed her eyes and nodded. "The world is changing, and it will never be the same again. Not now, not ever."

"No. That's for sure. All existence has been changed permanently, for better or for worse." he said quietly.

She smiled. "Maybe both."

"Why do you say that?" he asked.

She closed her eyes again, resting on his shoulder. "Some people may have been changed for the better. Others for the worse. And some of us for both."

"Examples?" he requested, smiling.

Kestrel smiled back. "Well, Angel for one. Before all this happened, she was essentially a normal girl, with the exception of being the envy of every girl in our school and the lust object of every boy. Perhaps that's what started her on the road to becoming a Mary-Sue."

"What about you? How do you think this has changed you?" he persisted.

She smirked. "Heck yeah, it's changed me for the better. I've longed for things like this to happen ever since I was little. I've never really felt I belonged anywhere."

"Maybe because you do not. Except with me." He kissed her between the eyes.

Laughing, she kissed him back on the cheek. "That's true."

**This ****chapter ****was ****REALLY ****fun ****to ****write! ****I ****got ****to ****rant ****at ****Legolas! ****As ****much ****as ****I ****like ****him, ****I ****simply ****LOVE ****Leggy-bashing ****fics. ****SO ****FUNNY!****Oh, ****and ****about ****that ****part ****where ****Kestrel's ****like ****"I ****will ****never ****understand ****alcoholics", ****yes, ****I ****HAVE ****tasted ****beer ****and ****wine ****when ****I ****was ****in ****China. ****(I'm ****Chinese.) ****And ****it ****tasted ****disgusting. ****Sorry ****if ****I ****offended ****anybody**** – ****it ****wasn't ****meant ****to ****sound ****like ****that**.


	3. Chapter 3

**WARNING: THE FOLLOWING DISCLAIMER HAS A BUNCH OF RAMBLING IN IT. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.**

**A.N. no. 1: *cowers in corner* I got a life for Christmas. NaNo was before that, and NaNo editing was during December. But then I got bored and came back to writing this. Don't hit me with textbooks! (Yes, I've done that to particularily slow updaters…)**

**A.N. no. 2: Thanks go to Fionn Rose for being awesome and betaing!**

**Disclaimer: If you don't know, you're stupid. And I don't own the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland either…well, I guess I could, since the copyright's expired, but…whatever. For all practical purposes, I don't own the White Rabbit. Oh, by the way, there's a type of Chinese candy called "Big White Rabbit", at least, that's what the translation is off the top of my head. It could just be "White Rabbit". Anyways, it's REALLY GOOD, but I haven't had any for at least a year! * sob sob * You should try it. It's like vanilla Tootsie Rolls, but it tastes MUCH better. And it's covered in rice paper – the best tasteless stuff in the world. I LOVE RICE PAPER! Although I really don't like rice…that's what happens when you have it EVERY SINGLE DAY for your WHOLE LIFE. Which is also why my opinion of Chinese food isn't the highest, either. But my best friend LOVES Chinese food…I think that's why she loves coming over to my house for dinner. I like Japanese food, personally. Unlike my parents, who really dislike it. SASHIMI IS AWESOME! Oh, does anybody out there watch anime and read manga? My Chinese friends do. And I sometimes can't stand hearing them go on and on and on and on about it…though they're also hooked onto Asian Drama. And then there's me…this Narnia and LotR geek. The only one I know in person. Me. How lonely an existence do I lead? Yeah, I'm half emo. I can't be fully emo because I have like no pain sensors. And I'm a emu, according to my friend. I was talking to her the other day, and she said she couldn't picture me as a Narnia geek. And I'm like, "Uh, then you don't know me at all" because Narnia's what got me hooked to LotR. You know, that C.S. Lewis - J.R.R. Tolkien best friends thing? Oh, and have you ever seen…mmmf!**

*** Kestrel proceeds to gag and bind Warriormaid hand and foot * Sorry about that. She's in a really random mood today. And since it's me writing this, not her…yeah, I might shift into first person by accident sometimes. I'm not a writer. Don't judge. Even though you've probably already read 18 chapters of this story about me…still. Don't judge.**

Chapter 3

Kestrel woke up early in the morning and realized that Éowyn was already gone. _Uh…what the frick? How is she already up and dressed?_ She looked further out the window and noticed that the sun had just come up. _Seriously._

She swung her legs over the side of the bed, located the black tunic and leggings she had discarded before the feast (Éowyn had lended her a nightgown, disregarding her protests about how she could sleep in her clothes) and strapped on her weapons belt. It felt good to be out of a dress, even one as comfortable as that green one. Or her nightgown, for that matter.

_The first thing I have to do today is check on Angel. _she thought to herself, heading towards the hall. But then she paused as a new thought struck her. _But wait…Éowyn never told me where she was…_she thought guiltily. _Dang it! Oh well, I'll just find Éowyn at breakfast and ask her then._

"Seems like you are totally out of it today, Hawk."

Startled by his voice, she looked up and suddenly threw her arms around Legolas in a greeting hug. "Well then! Aren't you all spry today. What's for breakfast?"

"Bread and cheese. As usual. But you better eat it quickly – Théoden is asking for Gandalf, and he is obviously going to tell Théoden about last night. And I suppose we have got to be there too." he replied, pulling away and smiling.

Kestrel sighed. "Yeah, and I suppose I shouldn't be eating during such an important meeting. So screw it; I'm going to grab something before Merry and Pippin show up!" she called over her shoulder as she sprinted towards the kitchens.

The cooks looked up, startled, as she burst in the door. "May I have a piece of bread and a hunk of cheese?" she asked breathlessly. One of the cooks nodded, took the requested items from a basket, and handed it to her. She nodded her thanks and slowly walked out, munching happily on the bread and cheese.

"Hey! Where did you get that?" Pippin suddenly came out of nowhere and pointed at her food.

She rolled her eyes. "What do you think?"

"I don't know." He shrugged, smiling in that cute hobbit-like way that Kestrel loved.

She sighed. "From the kitchen, you dummy!"

"All right, all right!" He ducked the playful punch that she was aiming at his head and ran off in the direction she had come from.

Walking on, she shook her head slowly. "Hobbits."

0oO0oO0oO0oO0

Kestrel found Éowyn standing out on the balcony as usual, looking out into the west this time at the ever present fires of Mordor.

"Seriously, Éowyn, how the heck did you get up so early?" she asked, tapping Éowyn on the shoulder.

She turned around. "It's my usual time. Why, how late do YOU sleep?"

Kestrel wasn't ready to admit that she had fallen in love with the snooze button when she first got an alarm clock – that is, when she was eight. "…not answering that question."

"Fine then, do as you will. Anyways, what do you want?" Éowyn asked, seriously, if that question COULD be asked seriously.

With a smirk (for she was thinking that very thing) Kestrel replied, "Just wanted to ask you where Angel is."

"In our best room for guests. I do not think she realizes that she's being kept prisoner, but I have posted a guard on her door, just in case. They are not supposed to do anything to her, just come and report to me whenever she leaves." Éowyn answered. Seeing the worried expression on Kestrel's eyes, she hurriedly added, "And I have made sure they aren't affected by her."

Kestrel nodded and smiled. "Okay then, so you're fine with taking care of her? I mean, you're fine with the fact that you're the one in charge of her?"

Éowyn shrugged. "Sure, why not? It's not like I personally have to watch her every minute of the day now."

"I guess I'll go see her right now…holy crap, I just realized that I'm in the process of missing out on a VERY IMPORTANT meeting!" Kestrel exclaimed, rushing off. She muttered, half to herself and half to a very confused Éowyn, "Heck, I feel like the White Rabbit."

In typical White Rabbit fashion, Kestrel ran inside and down the steps to the King's private chambers, muttering all the way, "Holy crap. I'm late. I'm late. Crap. Dang it." etc.

"– looked into the palantír and was seen by the Enemy." Gandalf was saying.

Everybody – that is, Legolas, Aragorn, Gimli, Théoden, and Éomer – turned to look at her as she barged in. With a muttered "Sorry", Kestrel ducked her head and hurried over to Legolas, who took her hand and squeezed it.

"What took you so long to get here? All you had to do was go to the kitchens and get some food!" Legolas whispered fiercely.

Kestrel just sighed and answered, "I'll tell you later."

"I asked him what he told the Dark Lord. There was no lie in Pippin's eyes when he answered." Gandalf continued. "A fool…" _of a Took_, Kestrel mentally added "but a honest fool he remains. He told Sauron nothing of Frodo and the Ring. We've been strangely fortunate." _Yeah. Mmhmm. Totally._ "Pippin saw in the palantír a glimpse of the Enemy's plan."

Her curiousity and impatience overwhelmed her, and she blurted, "What is it?"

"Patience, Kestrel." Gandalf said placatingly. "Sauron moves to strike the city of Minas Tirith. His defeat at Helm's Deep showed our enemy one thing: he knows the heir of Elendil has come forth. Men are not as weak as he supposed; there is courage still. Strength enough perhaps to challenge him. Sauron fears this." Kestrel sneaked a look at Aragorn, who was standing there with his arms crossed. His expression said, Whatever. Screw it.

"He will not risk the peoples of Middle-Earth uniting under one banner. He will raze Minas Tirith to the ground before he sees a King return to the throne of Men." _* cough * Aragorn * cough *_ "If the Beacons of Gondor are lit, Rohan must be ready for war." Gandalf finished, looking Théoden King in the eye.

After a moment's thought, the King of Rohan replied, "Tell me ... why should we ride to the aid of those who did not come to ours? What do we owe Gondor?"

"Um, Théoden? That's because you didn't send out riders like Aragorn told you to. It's not their fault – it's yours. So that really isn't a valid argument…seriously." Kestrel said, shaking her head. "Men…and I mean all of the male species…cough Legolas cough Gimli cough Gandalf cough Merry cough Pippin cough…"

After a period of awkward silence, Aragorn stepped forward. "I will go."

"No!" Gandalf said quickly.

Aragorn met Gandalf's eyes. "They MUST be warned!"

"They will be!" Gandalf insisted. "You must come to Minas Tirith by another road. Follow the river and look to the black ships…"

Driven by nothing more than impulse, Kestrel let go of Legolas' hand and stepped forward. "I'll go. There's nothing keeping me back. I'm not really needed."

"Yes, you are going…over my dead body." Legolas spun her around.

She smirked. "That can be arranged."

"No, seriously, listen to me, Kestrel. Stop thinking that you are not needed. You are a warrior, just as much as me, or Aragorn, or Gimli. You stay here. End of story."

Gandalf shook his head. "Legolas is right, Kestrel. You must stay here. There are more battles for you to fight here. Understand this – things are now in motion that cannot be undone." Kestrel had turned back to face him, and now he met her gaze. She stared back defiantly at first, but Gandalf's power was stronger than hers, and she lowered her eyes as he continued. "I ride for Minas Tirith…and I won't be going alone." He turned his gaze to Pippin.

Kestrel pretty much swore inwardly. _Fudgenuggets! Sugar-Honey-Iced Tea! What is this? He won't let me go – but he takes this pretty much useless hobbit? What is this? Well, yeah, Pippin's useful in terns of comic relief, but other than that…what the heck?_ "Seriously?"

"You have to stay here. Minas Tirith is not like Edoras. It is full of treachery, deceivers, plotters. You will fare better staying with Aragorn." Gandalf replied.

_Yeah, he's essentially saying _"_Sorry, but you're going to mess everything up in Minas Tirith._" _When he's taking Pippin. Hypocrite._ "I made a vow to Boromir…"

"You can still fulfill that vow. No matter where you go, battle awaits you. I can see it." the wizard said, but Kestrel wasn't really listening. She had known since Gandalf turned to Pippin, but she felt that it was…**Oh, I don't know – how would I remember?**…her duty to protest the decision. Though the fact that she swore a vow to Boromir also weighed into her reasons. And that she really desperately wanted to see Minas Tirith. And that she wanted to flip Denethor off. Even though she couldn't remember why she didn't like him. She just remembered that she did.

Gandalf noticed that she wasn't about to say anything, so he said, "Well, that's that, I suppose. Merry, Pippin, you're coming with me."

"Wait, you mean I'M going too?" Merry suddenly blurted out, and Kestrel's self-esteem fell even lower, if that was possible.

She sighed and shook her head. "You're taking two somewhat useless and foolish hobbits, but not me?"

"Oh, of course not! I meant that Merry's coming with me to the stables!" Gandalf said angrily and swept out of the room, Merry following him, and Pippin toddling along in their wake.

"You've GOT to be kidding me." she groaned. With her eyes intently staring at the ground (looking for the non-existent penny on the floor), she stormed out. _And of course, Pippin gets to go with him. Freaking useless (yeah, I'm sorry) fool-of-a-Took Pippin! What is this?_

She didn't notice Éowyn fall into step beside her. "What's wrong now, Kestrel?"

"Gandalf's going to Minas Tirith, and when I asked him if I could go, he said no. And then he said that he's taking PIPPIN! Pippin – freaking – Took!" she exploded.

Éowyn considered saying that maybe it was because Kestrel was female, but she wisely decided against it. Instead, she said, "Well, maybe it is because you will be more useful here…"

"Yeah. Mmhmm. Really. Of course." Kestrel answered sarcastically. "And I wanted to flip Denethor off!"

Éowyn had no idea what "flip Denethor off" meant, but she could tell it wasn't something good. "From what I hear, that wouldn't be a good idea."

"Why not? It'll be fun, and he really can't do anything to me. Just like how Théoden really can't do anything to me." Kestrel replied.

"Suit yourself." Éowyn decided it was useless arguing against Kestrel. "Wait…is Aragorn going?"

Kestrel shook her head. "Heck no. Even though he wanted to. Gandalf kinda wouldn't let him. Which I'm happy for. Because then I won't feel so lonely and stupid."

"You ARE lonely and stupid." Éowyn said, before picking up her skirt and running off.

Kestrel just stood there for a moment, before breaking out into chuckles and sprinting after her. "You little…grrr! Get back here!"

She chased Éowyn through Edoras and out onto the plains, before Éowyn, panting with her hands on her knees, finally stopped. As soon as she realized that Éowyn had stopped, Kestrel slowed down to a walk, also panting. "Dang it! Heck, I feel totally dead. How do you run that fast?"

"How do you run that slow?" Éowyn retorted. They stood there glaring at each other for a minute before bursting with laughter.

Kestrel stopped laughing when something caught her eye. She straightened and looked closer. A figure on a white horse was coming out of Edoras. This in itself should have been enough to alert her, but no, she had to look closer, being so incredibly slow. "Holy crap!"

"What is it, Kestrel?" Éowyn asked, having also seen the white horse.

Kestrel facepalmed, most likely because of her own stupidity. "It's…Pippin and Gandalf, and they're riding Shadowfax. At full speed."

"Full speed? One of the Mearas? Uh…that's really fast." Éowyn said, worried.

"Yeah…HOLY CRAP! ÉOWYN, GET OUT OF THE WAY! THEY'RE COMING!" Kestrel screamed, running out of Shadowfax's path. Éowyn did likewise, and as Shadowfax thundered on towards them, Kestrel could make out Pippin's startled expression.

They passed by quickly, Gandalf nodding to Kestrel and Éowyn as he and Pippin hurtled past. As the sound of hoofbeats faded away, Kestrel thought she just about could make out Pippin's voice floating back to them. "Gandalf, that was Éowyn and Kestrel!"

"No freaking duh, Pippin." Kestrel muttered. "Who did you think we were? Éomer and Aragorn?"

Éowyn shrugged and said, "Well, we had best be getting back, before some people start thinking that we were ambushed by Orcs or something."

"Heh, some people as in Legolas? Over-freaking-protective Legolas? Or some people as in Théoden? Slightly suicidal Théoden? Or Gimli? I-need-Orcs-to-kill-so-I-can-drink-my-beer Gimli?" Kestrel asked, smirking.

Éowyn jerked her head towards Edoras. "All of them. And everybody else. And anyways, here they come." Kestrel looked, and sure enough, pretty much everybody important in Edoras had come out looking for them. Including those that Kestrel had named.

"Well, looky here! I suppose we're important and valuable now, huh, Éowyn?" Kestrel sighed. "And of course that HAS to happen AFTER Gandalf left for Minas Tirith."

"Important and valuable; that too often means fragile and to be protected. Unfortunately." Éowyn remarked.

Legolas was close enough to hear their converstation. "She speaks the truth, Kestrel."

"Heh. I'd like to see you try to keep me from the battle." Kestrel laughed. "It would provide lots of entertainment."

He shook his head. "Well, come on then. Since you have not been attacked by Orcs and the like, you need to get back to Edoras."

"And why?" Kestrel asked, putting her hands on her hips.

He sighed. "Because I said so."

"You do realize that is not a really good argument to use with Kestrel?" Éowyn couldn't resist breaking in.

Kestrel nodded. "So true."

"No, seriously, we should be going back to Edoras." Aragorn said, all serious and stuff.

Kestrel sighed but agreed. "I guess so. But there's really nothing to do until Pippin and Gandalf get to Minas Tirith, is there? And how long d'you think that'll take?"

"It normally takes five days on a regular Rohirric horse, but on Shadowfax, they will reach the White Tower in little more than three days from now." Théoden answered.

"Three freaking days? What do you expect me to do for the next three days?" Kestrel demanded. "I get restless when I'm bored!"

Aragorn turned to Théoden and shrugged, then suggested, "She could patrol with the Rohirrim…"

"Stop talking about me like I'm not here. Patrol? And would I see any action at all?" Kestrel asked.

Éomer shook his head. "No, but then again, there are not much Orcs left in this area. And it will give you something to do."

"Whatever. Sure. I'll do it. As long as you call me back as soon as anything happens." she said.

**A.N. You probably realized by now that I'm free and have once again taken over the computer. Kestrel's sulking in the basement right now. But I expect her to be back by the next chapter. And so I will use this chapter (and the next) to insult her as much as possible before she kills me. Again. For the millionth time. And she's also down there because she doesn't like Tenth Avenue North. Or The Afters. Which is totally not right. Best bands in the world! **

**Sorry for the short chapter...inspiration has left me, even after all these months. Reviews will be appreciated...**


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